Identification tags, known simply as “ID tags”, are ubiquitous in livestock farming. In many cases multiple ID tags are present on a single animal. For example, a first ID tag may be used to attach a government (e.g., state) ID to an animal, a second ID tag may be used to attach an owner ID to the animal, and a third ID tag may be used to attach an organizational ID (e.g., for the meat and livestock association (MLA)). Other ID tags may be used to attach other identifiers to an animal.
ID tags can include a large surface for displaying of a visual identifier, usually a number or combination of numbers and letters, and/or can include a radio frequency identification (RFID) circuit. When energized, the RFID circuit emits a signal including an identification number for the animal. RFID circuits can also store and transmit other information such as the properties at which an animal has been located.
Ear Tags
Most ID tags are designed for and attached to an ear of the animal. The ear is used primarily because the flap of the ear is a large exposed area of thin skin with few blood vessels or nerves allowing for relatively easy attachment and minimal discomfort for the animal. These “ear tags” are attached by making an opening through the flap of the ear and placing a narrow neck portion of the tag through the opening. Respective enlarged portions are on each end of the neck of the tag and are positioned on respective sides of the ear to prevent the tag from sliding out of the opening. The ear tags are placed over a thin rib of cartilage on the ear.
Ear tags come in one-piece and two-piece designs. The two-piece designs include a first piece with a neck having one enlarged portion on one end and a separate second piece having a second enlarged portion. The neck of the first piece can be inserted through the opening in the ear flap, and the second piece can subsequently be connected to the free end of the neck on the side of the ear opposite the first enlarged portion. The one-piece designs typically include a hinged member that can align with the neck to be slid through the opening in the ear flap and is subsequently rotated perpendicular to the neck to prevent the neck from sliding back through the opening once the tag is attached to the ear.
The ear tag is attached through the use of an attachment tool. The attachment tool is often a pliers-like hand squeezed/powered implement that brings two opposing surfaces together with the ear flap therebetween. The ear tag is placed on one opposing surface (or both in a two-piece design) of the tool and is pressed, using the tool, through the ear flap of the animal. Inserting through the ear flap requires only a single penetration of thin skin and cartilage, so it is easy to insert the tags with a hand powered tool. Other attachment tool designs exist including a pneumatic design that uses air pressure to force an ear tag through the ear flap.
The opening in the ear flap is typically made simultaneously with attachment of the ear tag. The attachment tool can have a pointed end that sticks out in front of the tag (e.g., through an aperture extending longitudinally through the neck of the tag) to create an initial opening. Alternatively, the tag itself can have a rigid pointed end to create an initial opening. This initial opening is typically smaller than a diameter of the neck of the tag. The initial opening is enlarged by forcing a cone shaped end of the neck portion of the tag into and through the initial opening. This action enlarges the initial opening and pushes the neck portion through that enlarged opening. Once the neck portion extends sufficiently out of the reverse side of the ear flap, the second piece can be attached to the neck, or the hinged portion can be rotated, to prevent the neck from being pulled back out of the opening. Often, attachment of the female portion or rotation of the hinged portion is accomplished by the attachment tool during the same movement of the opposing surfaces towards each other that creates the opening and presses the neck through. This results in creation of the opening and complete attachment of the ear tag with a single squeeze of the attachment tool.
Other Tags
ID tags can also be attached to animals in other locations including under the skin (for RFID tags), as necklaces, ankle bracelets, and in the brisket region of a cow. A tag attached in the brisket region of a cow, a so-called “brisket tag”, resembles a padlock with a U-shaped metal bar that extends through an opening made in the brisket region of a cow. A plastic member attaches to the free ends of the U-shaped bar to provide a block that prevents the U-shaped bar from sliding out of the opening. The plastic member also provides a surface for disposing of a visual identifier. To attach the brisket tag, the hair in the brisket region at which the opening is to-be-made is shaved, and a punch pliers is used to punch an opening through the flap of skin. A U-shaped metal bar is then placed through the opening and the plastic member is attached to the ends of the U-shaped bar.
As compared to an ear tag, a brisket tag can provide a higher degree of security as ear tags can be surreptitiously cut or pulled-out of an ear. The brisket tags, however, can be much more difficult to attach, because of the multiple steps required including shaving the skin, creating the opening, inserting the U-bar through the opening, and securing the U-bar. Additionally, the skin in the dewlap or brisket region is much more difficult to penetrate than the ear flap. Oftentimes, the skin in the dewlap or brisket region is folded such that making a hole requires penetrating through two layers of the thick skin. Additionally, the brisket region of the cow can be less accessible than an ear flap of the cow. Attachment of brisket tags can also be difficult because it can be difficult to re-locate the opening in the flap of skin for inserting of the U-bar after the opening is created with the punch. Finally, brisket tags can be problematic in that the U-shaped bar in combination with the plastic member forms a ring in which other items can get caught, such as material of a fence. If a brisket tag does get caught in a fence, it may be ripped out when the cow moves away, causing both pain to the cow and loss of the tag.